Soundgarden

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I used to maintain that there was no need to buy their records as long as you could find Black Sabbath or (good luck!) Sir Lord Baltimore. I now amend that to add Kyuss, Trouble, and Queens of the Stone Age, whom I haven't even heard yet.

Soundgarden had their moments.

Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, 11 October 2004 19:19 (twenty-one years ago)

were fucking **MASSIVE** , and a QUADRILLION LIGHT YEARS OF BROAD SWEEPING VAST DISTANCES better than their snivelling little pals in Nirvana. First saw them at L'Amour in Brooklyn (with Voi Vod and Faith No More) circa Louder Than Love and they blasted a new part in my hair.

I don't really see much of a point of comparison with Soundgarden and Nirvana anyway, other than they were both guitar rock bands from Seattle....Soundgarden has way more in common with the bands that Myonga just cited than Nirvana....

Also, I REALLY REALLY REALLY WISH I WOULD HAD BEEN AT THAT SHOW....christ what a lineup! I need to listen to some Voivod.

M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 11 October 2004 19:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Sonically speaking, you're right.....Soundgarden sound nothing like Nirvana (and vice versa), but being that Nirvana are tirelessly lauded as the "ultimate Grunge band," I'm always quick to point out that (a) Soundgarden beat them to it and (b) Soundgarden were fuckin' better. But yes, Matt, you're correct.

And yes, the show in question was godlike. Voi Vod had recently released Nothingface and FNM were promoting The Real Thing. And this was at a shitty, tiny little club. I was wearing a Dread Zeppelin shirt at the time, and Matt Cameron -- seemingly on his way out of the men's room during Voi Vod's set -- says "that's some funny, fucked up shit!". Yay.

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 11 October 2004 19:40 (twenty-one years ago)

that's a good year too, all three bands at probably their peaks.

i had erased dread zeppelin from my memory until i read that. yikes! boy i bet that wouldn't seem as funny if i heard it now...

M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 11 October 2004 20:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Best song on Superunknown - "Head Down"..... hands down.

kickitcricket (kickitcricket), Monday, 11 October 2004 20:19 (twenty-one years ago)

You've all inspired me to listen to Superunknown. Christ, 'Let Me Drown' is a great album opener.

Wooden (Wooden), Monday, 11 October 2004 20:26 (twenty-one years ago)

gygax!, yes, I was trying to persuade Dave M of that same thing at the last TOFAP - I always thought it was a pretty clever allusion myself. I love the horn breaks in "Face Pollution". I think the grind of "4th of July" is the best track on Superunknown. I was too hard on them in my earlier post. One thing I'll say 'against' them though is: On another thread Mr Diamond (and I know he loves Zep to death) described Cornell as "Robert Plant with a better voice", which I don't think is the case. I was listening to III last night and really noticed the things Plant does with dynamics and tone in that insane register (where he often actually sings more than some give him credit for) - He's pretty never right in key but somehow that works in a way - and you can see that sometimes he achieves a certain effect by going particularly flat. The only sense in which I could see Cornell being 'better' is in terms of singing in key and maybe having a more full supported tone but what he tends to do with his voice tends to fall in more cliched patterns.

sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 11 October 2004 21:05 (twenty-one years ago)

"...pretty much never right in key". And it's a certain effect of emphasis when he goes totally flat.

sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 11 October 2004 21:06 (twenty-one years ago)

I guess it's also that Cornell seems to have much less of a range in terms of dynamics.

sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 11 October 2004 21:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Huh, did I really say that about Cornell/Plant? I don't remember. If so, I'm not sure I would agree with myself either! Maybe I meant like, stronger, better projection -- when Plant really pushed his voice there's an occasional sense of straining that you never really got with Cornell -- but yeah I wouldn't say the latter's necessarily the overall "better" of the two.

I like 'em both just fine.

Roy Williams Highlight (diamond), Monday, 11 October 2004 21:19 (twenty-one years ago)

"Keep it Off My Wave" is one of my favorite songs. Great riff, great singing, great theme.

Mark (MarkR), Monday, 11 October 2004 21:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, and I was at that Faith No More/Soundgarden/Voivod show that Alex mentions too; in fact I saw two stops on that tour. It was really great.

Roy Williams Highlight (diamond), Monday, 11 October 2004 21:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Nice sundar, I believe it is the really metal minor riff from "The Temple" but it shows up in other places on JCSS.

gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 11 October 2004 21:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Despite the fact that I still find 'em by far the weaker of the three bands, I too regret missing their show with Voivod & Faith No More when they played Toronto in early '90. (Didn't find out about it until the next day, boo hoo.)

Actually, honestly, I guess Soundgarden were better than I ever give 'em credit for. If I'd never read a single interview with or article about them, I'd like 'em more than I do. (But still not as much as Sabbath or Zep, from whom they borrowed plenty despite their nonsensical denials.)

Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, 11 October 2004 21:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Pretty Noose is a great song.

M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 11 October 2004 21:29 (twenty-one years ago)

"In any case, Soundgarden -- in their day (now many, many, many moons ago) -- were fucking **MASSIVE** , and a QUADRILLION LIGHT YEARS OF BROAD SWEEPING VAST DISTANCES better than their snivelling little pals in Nirvana."

alex in nyc is officially the biggest crybaby on ILX.

latebloomer (latebloomer), Monday, 11 October 2004 23:56 (twenty-one years ago)

sorry, i'm having a bad day. I'M actually the biggest crybaby here.

latebloomer (latebloomer), Tuesday, 12 October 2004 00:03 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't think i could rate Cornell above Plant either. But christ that concert with FNM, Voivod and Soundgarden all at a peak sounds just ridiculous. Caught Soundgarden live around the BadMotorFinger album (def. my fave) and the absolute force of each player (think Shepherd! and Thayil!) meant Cornell didn't have to carry it and be the preening vocalist he became later.

piers (piers), Tuesday, 12 October 2004 00:43 (twenty-one years ago)

alex in nyc is officially the biggest crybaby on ILX.

How does merely stating a fact make me a crybaby?

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 12 October 2004 00:58 (twenty-one years ago)

don't worry about it, i was sniping at ya cause i was grumpy earlier.

latebloomer (latebloomer), Tuesday, 12 October 2004 02:31 (twenty-one years ago)

I haven't been inspired to listen to Superunknown in a really long time, but if i remember correctly, "Let Me Drown", "Fell On Black Days", "Head Down" and others were/are pretty fucking awesome songs. And wasn't "Burden In My Hand" just a solid pop song? Kinda surprising. Maybe i'll get em back in the playlist.

lemin (lemin), Tuesday, 12 October 2004 04:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Soundgarden could be a pretty damn good band when they wanted to.

latebloomer (latebloomer), Tuesday, 12 October 2004 04:29 (twenty-one years ago)

"Full On Kevin's Mom" by Soundgarden

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 12 October 2004 11:45 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...
Badmotorfinger is a much weirder (not always successfully) album than I remember it being. I can definitely hear the Bauhaus in it a lot more clearly these days.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 18 January 2006 21:33 (twenty years ago)

One of the 1st grunge albums I bought. Still love it.
Do you like Ultra Mega Ok and Louder Than Love, Ned?

Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Wednesday, 18 January 2006 21:43 (twenty years ago)

Screaming Life > Ultramega OK > Badmotorfinger > Louder Than Love > Superunknown > Down on the Upside

Dr. Gene Scott (shinybeast), Wednesday, 18 January 2006 21:59 (twenty years ago)

Badmotorfinger is a great album, start to finish. The earlier records are made up of songs that are about half-cooked. Just riffs really. But some good riffs. The later stuff has some good songs, but they started running out of ideas pretty quick, and "Fell on Black Days" is horrible. "Burden in my Hand" , "Day I Tried to Live" pretty great though. They started out smarter than they were letting on, but ended up just as dumb as thier pose.

I've never heard anyone else make the comparison, but Soundgarden's songwriting remind me a lot of early Traffic- stuff like "Mr. Fantasy" and "Forty Thousand Headmen"- in the lyrics, the dynamics and in Cornell's singing.

bendy (bendy), Wednesday, 18 January 2006 22:23 (twenty years ago)

down on the upside isn't that great but I think "Pretty Noose" is a most excellent jam.

M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 18 January 2006 22:29 (twenty years ago)

I think Superunknown and Down On The Upside are both about half an hour too long, but I'm probably just wishing they conformed to the length of old Led Zeppelin LPs. I love love love "4th Of July" - such a beautifully ugly riff.

I wonder if "My Wave" was meant as a Yes rip, because it reminds me of part of "Ritual"...

Deluxe (Damian), Wednesday, 18 January 2006 23:28 (twenty years ago)

two years pass...

Anyone know how much some of their rarer vinyl is worth? Such as:

Louder Than Live (yes, Live) on blue vinyl.
Hands All Over promo single.
Loud Love promo single.
etc.

Reatards Unite, Sunday, 24 August 2008 21:50 (seventeen years ago)

Try completed listings on ebay -

http://cgi.ebay.com/SOUNDGARDEN-Louder-Than-Live-promo-12-blue-wax-punk_W0QQitemZ370061040886QQihZ024QQcategoryZ306QQcmdZViewItem

63 on ebay, can buy it mint on musicstack for 70.

svend, Sunday, 24 August 2008 22:11 (seventeen years ago)

Thanks, but how do you search for ebay completed listings?

Reatards Unite, Sunday, 24 August 2008 22:22 (seventeen years ago)

It is under advanced search, it requires you to sign in. If you don't have an account, google is pretty good for finding recent listings too.

svend, Sunday, 24 August 2008 22:25 (seventeen years ago)

try http://www.popsike.com/ too

Herman G. Neuname, Sunday, 24 August 2008 22:31 (seventeen years ago)

http://www.popsike.com/php/detaildata.php?itemnr=4873252359

Herman G. Neuname, Sunday, 24 August 2008 22:32 (seventeen years ago)

seven months pass...

The hell?:

The biggest highlight came when Morello introduced former Soundgarden members guitarist Kim Thayil, bassist Ben Shepard and drummer Matt Cameron. The three former bandmates took to the stage with none other than Tad Doyle, former frontman of TAD and current powerhouse singer for Brothers of the Sonic Cloth. He led the band through a three-song "Tadgarden" set that included a Soundgarden rarity and a classic.

Doyle, who is good friends with the Soundgarden crew from their days as tour and labelmates on Sub Pop, sang a powerful rendition of "Nothing to Say" and delivered a scream-laden "Spoonman," which included Morello on rhythm guitar.

It appeared as if a lot of the crowd, which was a mixture of old school grungers in their mid 30s to late 40s and younger Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave fans, didn't quite know what to make of Doyle.

Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 25 March 2009 18:10 (seventeen years ago)

lol that sounds pretty great, though i guess you would have had to sit through a tom morello solo show to see it?

call all destroyer, Wednesday, 25 March 2009 18:13 (seventeen years ago)

haha yes... and here i am stuck with tix to see cornell ;_;

butt-rock miyagi (rogermexico.), Wednesday, 25 March 2009 22:29 (seventeen years ago)

Photos and more:

http://cherrycanoe.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/nothing-to-say/

Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 25 March 2009 22:37 (seventeen years ago)

the 12 year old me just bust a nut

straightola, Thursday, 26 March 2009 12:04 (seventeen years ago)

badmotorfinger is nothing short of explosive when the right mood hits. strangely it makes for a truly nostalgic listen, most likely because it encapsulates the creative heights of an era that was so dominant and far-reaching in its exposure, but also so brittle and dependent on the energy and conviction levels of its principle players to survive.

Charlie Howard, Thursday, 26 March 2009 12:19 (seventeen years ago)

The iPod in my head is playing 'Room a Thousand Years Wide' right now.

MacDara, Thursday, 26 March 2009 12:21 (seventeen years ago)

that's called your brain.

I, Contrarian-Ass Mutha (some dude), Thursday, 26 March 2009 13:09 (seventeen years ago)

nine months pass...

Well I'm amused:

http://www.soundgardenworld.com/

Ned Raggett, Friday, 1 January 2010 07:48 (sixteen years ago)

I'm going to remain optimistic until further notice.

all yoga attacks are fire based (rogermexico.), Friday, 1 January 2010 10:12 (sixteen years ago)

I'm pretty hyped for this though from recent material not sure if Chris' voice can still hit those big heights

Jamie_ATP, Friday, 1 January 2010 11:31 (sixteen years ago)

I really hope this is true!

Wax Cat, Friday, 1 January 2010 11:40 (sixteen years ago)

If this is true, then I'm sold. Soundgarden was 'my band' when I was a 14-year-old really discovering music for the first time, and they were my gateway drug to so much amazing stuff it's unbelievable.

wronger than 100 geir posts (MacDara), Friday, 1 January 2010 13:01 (sixteen years ago)

I'm pretty hyped for this though from recent material not sure if Chris' voice can still hit those big heights

― Jamie_ATP, Friday, January 1, 2010 6:31 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

yeah, that's my one concern too. although i'm pretty sure they'd still put on a killer live show where i wouldn't notice much about his voice anyway. i wonder how extensive or long term this will be, considering that Matt Cameron still tours with Pearl Jam all the time.

lmao @ Cornell tweeting "Knights of the Soundtable ride again!""

some dude, Friday, 1 January 2010 14:17 (sixteen years ago)

Yamamoto or Shepard?

Sock Puppet Pizza Delivers To The Forest (Sock Puppet Queso Con Concentrate), Friday, 1 January 2010 21:01 (sixteen years ago)

XP But otoh you get Ben Shepard's photo and Jason Everman's credit.

"...And the Gods Socially Distanced" (C. Grisso/McCain), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 00:10 (five years ago)

no Hiro, no credibility for a rookie card

Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 00:17 (five years ago)

Everman’s incorrect credit - he was only in the videos and maybe toured the album. Hiro played on it and he’s pictured on the cover, for crying out loud!

wronger than 100 geir posts (MacDara), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 09:09 (five years ago)

I am pretty sure this was Jason's only studio contribution with SG:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpT4kgg5xlw

Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 16:42 (five years ago)

two years pass...

Sad it’s taken this long just to get close to getting these songs out.

FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 18 April 2023 19:24 (three years ago)

Can't believe it's been almost six years. Wow.

Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Tuesday, 18 April 2023 19:35 (three years ago)

one year passes...

Well dang

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QCJ-vWuxuY

Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 17 December 2024 04:58 (one year ago)

Racist assholes in the comments. I thought she sounded p amazing, even on Beyond The Wheel, which is a motherfucker to sing.

Judge Judy, executioner (stevie), Tuesday, 17 December 2024 09:50 (one year ago)

Holy fuck those comments are an even worse cesspool than I even feared. Gross, misogynistic, body shaming, sexually harassing and racist all in one! YouTube needs to be nuked from orbit at this point.

Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Tuesday, 17 December 2024 17:33 (one year ago)

all respect to Chris, I have seen countless SG live vids where his singing is p ropey, esp from Superunknown-era. His vocal parts are motherfuckers to sing live and in the moment, and she did a thrilling job. (Saw the reformed SG in Hyde Park, I think in 2013? And they fucking slayed, tbh. RIP Chris)

Judge Judy, executioner (stevie), Tuesday, 17 December 2024 18:21 (one year ago)

Yea I mean he sounded fine in later years but he'd lost a lot of power after he shredded his voice. So haters in the comments can fuck off

Riposte Malone (Neanderthal), Tuesday, 17 December 2024 19:22 (one year ago)

also LOL at the dickholes saying they should team up with Richie Kotzen. No. Nope. No way.

Judge Judy, executioner (stevie), Tuesday, 17 December 2024 19:42 (one year ago)

Didn't Brandi Carlile sing in place of Chris Cornell a couple of times? I like the idea of replacing some of these shriekers and screamers and wailers with women. The one or two times Nirvana did it it was with Joan Jett. Linkin Park just got a female singer. When I saw Bowie he had Gail Ann Dorsey do the Freddie Mercury parts in "Under Pressure." Supposedly Van Halen tried to get Patti Smyth to replace DLR.

Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 17 December 2024 20:21 (one year ago)

eight months pass...

Wondering if I need to read the Chris Cornell bio by Corbin Reiff.

Reggie Clanker (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 31 August 2025 19:54 (nine months ago)

two weeks pass...

Cameron says they are working on completing an unfinished Soundgarden album, the last stuff Cornell sang on which was apparently held up by a lawsuit from his widow. (Fwiw, it sounds like the reason he left Pearl Jam was that he was mostly sick of playing 3-hour shows every night on long tours. And he's got a Wipers sorta tribute band now that features him on guitar and vocals, too.)

Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 17 September 2025 02:23 (nine months ago)

would 100% go see a Wipers tribute band.

imperial frfr (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 17 September 2025 02:33 (nine months ago)

and also 100% wanna hear that new Soundgarden LP

conspiracitorial theories (stevie), Wednesday, 17 September 2025 08:13 (nine months ago)

I think I saw a clip of Cameron's band on Insta the other day, with Hiro guesting to sing "Circle of Power".

wronger than 100 geir posts (MacDara), Wednesday, 17 September 2025 08:24 (nine months ago)

two months pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5oUYhhkdiI

imperial frfr (Steve Shasta), Monday, 17 November 2025 07:55 (seven months ago)

five months pass...

A friend from my freshman year in college was a huge music nerd from Seattle and after returning from a trip home he brought back this warbly tape of 4-track demos from Cornell that was such a massive departure from Soundgarden at the time (Louder Than Love, Flower & the Screaming Life/Fopp reissue)... it was way more in line sonically with The Winding Sheet or what would become the blues/gospel songs off Temple of the Dog, but with lucid imaginative lyrics, experimental song structures and crazy guitar tunings played on his acoustic.

The only song I recognized coming to fruition from that tape was "Seasons" which showed up on the Singles OST. I'd love to hear those spooky, warbly demos again if any old school Seattle folks know what I'm talking about.

― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Thursday, May 18, 2017 12:35 PM (eight years ago)

still looking for this... would have been 90 timeframe, maybe 1991 at the absolute latest.

also, partially related: found out much later that SEXY DANCER and this friend of mine were schoolmates.

imperial frfr (Steve Shasta), Saturday, 16 May 2026 04:28 (one month ago)

The recent-ish reissue of the Singles OST had the 'Poncier' sessions as bonus tracks - was that possibly it? I think Seasons is so far beyond anything else Chris did solo, and when Soundgarden split I hoped that was the direction he went in. He really didn't, though.

an uncharacteristically irritated Mr. Rogers (stevie), Sunday, 17 May 2026 09:19 (one month ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWC8L434zi4

an uncharacteristically irritated Mr. Rogers (stevie), Sunday, 17 May 2026 09:21 (one month ago)

four weeks pass...

Kim Thayil just published a memoir

River of No Reply (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 14 June 2026 21:18 (one week ago)

I want that to be an Art Brut song title

J Edgar Noothgrush (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Sunday, 14 June 2026 21:22 (one week ago)

would 100% go see a Wipers tribute band.

I would especially see this if they played late 80s/90/s wipers songs

brimstead, Sunday, 14 June 2026 21:34 (one week ago)

Think I need this book.

River of No Reply (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 16 June 2026 00:09 (five days ago)

It's a good read! And really interesting on being an Indian guy within US (counter)culture. I interviewed him about it last month:https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jun/09/soundgarden-kim-thayil-interview-grunge-chris-cornell-kurt-cobain

the first of many brazen movies (stevie), Tuesday, 16 June 2026 07:22 (five days ago)

Great interview.

il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Tuesday, 16 June 2026 10:56 (five days ago)

thank you PBKR!

the first of many brazen movies (stevie), Tuesday, 16 June 2026 11:25 (five days ago)

Yeah, that was really good, really well done. Kim came through loud and clear.

River of No Reply (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 16 June 2026 12:32 (five days ago)

Thank you JR!

the first of many brazen movies (stevie), Tuesday, 16 June 2026 13:01 (five days ago)

Sure. Also reminded that recently I overheard an actor being interviewed at the local coffee shop and I am glad I did because, when it finally got written up and printed, the effect was much diluted from what he had said and how he said it.

River of No Reply (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 16 June 2026 14:06 (five days ago)


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